In honour of the centenary of the death of the iconic 20th-century Czech-Jewish writer Franz Kafka, “The other Arcadia” Foundation presents the group exhibition “K. or the collective terror of the individual” at 16 Fokionos Negri, Athens, from November 13, 2024, to January 11, 2025. The exhibition features over twenty-five works of painting, photography, and sculpture, the majority of which have been created specifically for this occasion by 17 Greek artists from the Sotiris Felios Collection.

Emerging from the intricate narratives crafted by Franz Kafka, and through an array of visual styles and personal references, the artists in the exhibition explore issues that lie at the heart of the Kafkaesque universe: the anxieties connected to human existence, mortality, the perpetual absurdity, dead ends, and the conflict between personal desires and societal expectations, creating a dialogue between the Kafkaesque realm and contemporary artistic practices.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a program of events, lectures, and educational workshops aimed at honouring Kafka’s memory and enduring mark he left across the spectrum of expression (literature, criticism, theatre, cinema, comics, etc.). Personalities from the realm of art, literature and theory will come together to share insights on the comprehension and interpretation of his diverse oeuvre and its influence on contemporary art.

Participating Artists:
Tasos Aridas, Kalliopi Asargiotaki, Marilitsa Vlachaki, Stefanos Daskalakis, Michalis Manoussakis, Theofilos Katsipanos, Emmanouil Bitsakis, Christos Bokoros, Konstantinos Papamichalopoulos, Kostas Papanikolaou, George Rorris, Alekos Levidis, Tassos Mantzavinos, Tassos Missouras, Michel Fais, Dimitris Hantzopoulos, Popi Tsoukatou.

The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual illustrated catalogue featuring texts by Elizabeth Plessa, Michel Fais, and Sotiris Felios.

Parallel Program

Friday, November 29, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Kafka Within and Beyond Borders
Speakers: Literary critic Vangelis Chatzivasileiou and literary critic and translator Katerina Schina.
Participating authors:Aristide Antonas, Elena Maroutsou, Michel Fais.

Saturday, November 30, 12:30 p.m.
Guided tour of the exhibition by art historian Elizabeth Plessa.

Friday, December 6, 5:30 – 8 p.m.
Creative Writing Seminar on Franz Kafka
Inspired by two of his books:
The Metamorphosis (1916) & The Building (1924)
With the author Michel Fais
Interested participants are kindly requested to send a participation request to info@felioscollection.gr to receive relevant instructions (by November 11).

More events will be announced soon.